A Culture That Works (OPINION)

I recently had the chance to hear Hank Henderson speak at a networking event — inside a church of all places — but his message wasn’t framed with theatrical fire and brimstone.

With a folksy, relaxed approach (he says the investors in New York think his Southern drawl sounds funny) Henderson, president and CEO of America’s Car-Mart Inc., gave his account of how the company has become one of the country’s largest publicly traded auto retailers.

The Bentonville-based company — which opened its first location in 1981 in Rogers — has opened 11 car lots this year alone, and now has 129 dealerships in ten states, the most recent coming online Oct. 1 in Richmond, Ky.

For its fiscal first quarter ended July 31, Car-Mart revenues totaled $122.5 million, up 11 percent from the first quarter of 2012.

“We are where we are because of our culture,” Henderson said in his remarks. “And our future depends on maintaining that.”

To that end, Henderson’s main theme was the company culture of Car-Mart.

It has been developed, Henderson said, by always being fiscally responsible.

“We’ve always been tight with a dollar,” Henderson said. “The bigger we get the more of a challenge that becomes, but it is always prevalent.”

Building a company culture doesn’t have to be complicated, and can vary from company to company, but it is a necessity.

The most important thing a business leader can do to build a strong company culture, I believe, is to communicate with employees. Working together to find solutions benefits everyone, and will reflect positively on the company as a whole.

Whatever it’s based on, a strong culture is the backbone of any organization, and Car-Mart’s culture of fiscal responsibility is something Henderson does believe strongly in.

Judging by the company’s success, it’s certainly one that works.